Tesaro to Use Myriad's HRD Test in Companion Dx Collab

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Tesaro has made a deal with Myriad Genetics to use Myriad's homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) test to look for tumor types that may respond to its poly-ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, niraparib. Myriad's HRD test, according to the firm, can detect when a tumor can no longer repair double-stranded DNA breaks, making them more susceptible to drugs that damage DNA.

"Prior studies have shown that only a subset of patients will respond to PARP inhibitors," said Myriad CSO Jerry Lanchbury, Ph.D., in a statement. "We believe using the HRD test may capture an enhanced number of responders to treatment with the exciting new class of PARP inhibitors."

Myriad says this agreement with Tesaro is its fifth collaboration with a major pharmaceutical company to evaluate HRD. The company inked a similar deal with BioMarin back in November to use the HRD test to identify tumor types that may be sensitive to BioMarin's PARP inhibitor BMN-673. Also, a year ago, it made an agreement with PharmaMar to conduct HRD testing on patients enrolled in PharmaMar's Phase II study of PM1183, a drug candidate designed to induce double-stranded DNA breaks.

Niraparib, which is right now in Phase III clinical development, was also the subject of a deal between Myriad and Tesaro in June 2013, when Myriad agreed to to conduct BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation testing using its BRACAnalysis® test to identify patients for two separate Phase III clinical studies evaluating the PARP inhibitor.